Spicy Butternut and Peanut Soup

For my birthday, my wonderful mother-in-law gave me an immersion blender. When I received it in the mail, I immediately started planning a whole roster of soups for the next week's menu. I reconsidered, however, thinking that I might not want to go on a completely liquid-based diet for a week and that my husband might want to chew his dinner. I did keep this soup on the menu. I had saved it in January, and I knew the list of ingredients would satisfy Joe's and my love of spicy things with peanut butter.

Wow. This soup is the best soup I've ever made. Usually my soups turn out too something: watery, heavy on one ingredient, chunky, etc. I prefer soups of a uniform consistency, so I pureed the whole thing, and I love how you can taste all the flavors in one bite. Pureeing it also made it incredibly creamy. Joe was amazed there wasn't any cream in it. The flavors are so warm. It would be the perfect soup to curl up with on a cold night when you don't want something too heavy. The chipotle en adobo lends just a hint of heat and a lovely roasted flavor. I absolutely loved this soup and loved using my new immersion blender!

Spicy Butternut and Peanut Soup
source: Cara's Cravings

Ingredients
1 cup chopped onions
1 1/2 lbs peeled, diced butternut squash
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
freshly ground salt & pepper
1 quart fat free, reduced sodium chicken broth (Or vegetable broth to make it vegetarian.)
14 oz can diced tomatoes
2/3 cup natural peanut butter
chopped cilantro for garnish

Preparation

Heat a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray and add onions. Cover and let them sweat for about 5 minutes, until softened, adjusting heat lower if they begin to brown. Add squash, garlic, chipotle pepper, and seasonings; stir and cook 2-3 minutes more. Add broth, tomatoes, and peanut butter, stirring well. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Coarsely mash with a potato masher, or if you prefer a smoother texture, puree with an immersion blender or in a food processor. Serve with chopped cilantro.